No one app is going to make an Android device immediately safe from any and all threats, but some can make it easier to remain ever vigilant. viaProtect may one day be such a app. This piece of software gives you a basic idea where the apps installed on your phone or tablet are sending your information. It doesn't go into specifics, but it will at least show you how much of your traffic is encrypted and some other security-related information.

Perhaps more interestingly, viaProtect offers a look at what companies' servers your data is speeding off to and where they reside in the world.

There isn't much else to the app right now, but since this is just a public preview, that's kind of the point. Check it out below if you're interested. It's available for free.

Born and raised in the rural South, Bertel knows what it's like to live without 4G LTE - or 3G, for that matter. The only things he likes sweeter than his tea are his gadgets, and while few objects burn more than a metal phone on a summer day, he prefers them that way anyway.

Comments

my Aunty Grace got a nearly new blue Kia by
working part time from the internet. look at this now J­u­m­p­9­9­9­.­ℂ­o­m

Amer Khaznadar

Not available in France :(

Huthaifa

What the hell is Akami technologies?!

tehboogieman

Akami or Akamai? Akamai is an established content delivery company

http://www.androidpolice.com/ Artem Russakovskii

Pretty sure he's talking about Akamai.

Jalok Xlem

Pretty cool. I wonder why most anti-virus apps doesn't have this sort of thing. Like KS Mobile?
Actually, while I'm bringing this up, which is the best anti-virus app out there besides KS Mobile? Because I feel like it isn't doing anything. I mean I downloaded a couple of "suspicious" apps and other downloadables, and it isn't catching anything suspicious.

xHabeasCorpusx

None. They are all pretty bogus.

Kevin Vesga

I like and am using avast because the free version scans webpages you visit. Some other AV like Lookout require the premium version for that feature.

In general, I would go with the common brands like Bitdefender, Avast, AVG, Avira, ESET, Kaspersky, Symantec, Dr. Web etc.

Jalok Xlem

I'm using Avast and KS Mobile security. I cannot tell the difference. 0_o Dang! I guess these "questionable" apps that I have downloaded online are considered "safe." Hmmmmm....

didibus

Why are you questioning the apps you downloaded? It's important to know Antivirus software looks for known viruses, malwares and other treats, it does not protect your data from malicious apps. What I mean is, it will catch an app trying to hack into your OS or your network. Like trying to perform operations outside its given permission sets, or trying to get control of another's app files, etc. It will not prevent an app from reading all your contacts and uploading them to a server, or from stealing your private camera pictures, etc. That's up to you to trust the app you are giving permission to use those permissions justly.

Jalok Xlem

So even though KS Mobile scanned the downloaded app and says, "It's Fine" - the chance is that it's not fine? Aw crap!

didibus

Well, I'm not sure what app you downloaded. But say I was to download a nice little APK of a game I love from a foreign looking website and side loaded into my phone. KS Mobile would scan the app for malware, viruses and the likes. If it doesn't find any, there's a good chance it does not have any, except for potential 0-day treats that no one has found yet. But, if the app, on install, request permission to the internet and to the SD card, it could be taking your pictures, and uploading them to said foreign website. The anti virus won't be able to tell that it is doing so for bad reasons. What it does protect you, is that if you did not grant the app those permissions, the app won't be able to do so.

That's where this app, ViaProtect, could actually come in handy. If it could show you that the app you got is only contacting the official game servers of the game, that's good, but if it's going to weird places instead, that's a bad sign.

tlingitsoldier

Crashes when trying to start on my Verizon Note 2. Rooted and ROM'd.

RedHatter

This app is just what I'm looking for, though I'd like to see more. I guess it's new. The company's website looks pretty cool so I have high hopes.

Same, diff ROM though, US. I'm guessing there's not much data to display yet to i'll check back in a few hours.

http://www.rebelwithoutaclue.com/ Rebel without a Clue

Shame you can't see what app is connecting to which server. I have 38% amazon and no idea what app does that

limpwaster

If you sign up for an account you can log into it on a pc and there is loads more information; including each app and what they are sending. Shame its not there in the app itself, but hopefully they will add it soon.

Pretty interesting to see that some apps I don't even use are sending stuff out. Service Programu (sprint hidden menu) which is a system app on my n5 talks to google every ~30 minutes and I have a UK n5 on a UK network... Suffice to say I disabled it right after seeing that.

Adam Sandler

There is a better app than this: Securacy, and it is free and not company owned. It allows you to pinpoint exactly which applications are breaking your concerns in terms of permissions, to where the application talks and if that connection was established over a secure protocol.